Lunch for One: Banana French Toast at Clinton Street Baking Co.

Sometimes you just want dessert for lunch. And that's when you turn to Clinton Street Baking Co., where their signature pancakes and other sweet affairs are served all day. I'm partial to their French Toast ($13), make with brioche cut so thick that the first word to come to mind is "meaty!" The brioche is both wide and tall, two slices generously battered, boasting a barely crisp surface and a buttery, fluffy inside begging to be slathered with warm melted maple butter. There are roasted and chopped pecans to top, and the equivalent of two whole bananas, sliced into two-inch cuts and caramelized.

Balance the sweet with a side of Fried Green Tomatoes ($7). Five slices to an order, the tomatoes are dipped in a thin batter and fried extra crisp with barely any grease. For as long as I've been eating at Clinton Street Baking Co., I've found no meal complete without the satisfying savory crunch of these fried green tomatoes. It comes with sour cream and is the ideal component to a meal that could otherwise be nothing but a sugar high.

Clinton Street Baking Co.

About the author: Originally from Honolulu, Kathy YL Chan writes A Passion For Food, where she chronicles her eats and travels adventures between Hawai'i, New York and beyond. She firmly believes that there is always room for dessert.